01 
0! 

7 
0 

1 
9 
4 


xpam  Star  Oil 
Corporation 


Jas.  O'Brien  &  Company    . 

ESTABLISHED  1900 
Members  New  York  Curb  Market  Association 

35  Broad  Street  New  York 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


Tuxpam  Star  Oil  Corporation 

Incorporated  under  the  Laws  of  the  State  of  Delaware. 

Capital,  5,000,000  shares,  all  Common  Stock.     Par  Value,  $1.00. 

Full  paid  and  Non- Assessable. 

No  Bonds,  preferred  stock  or  other  indebtedness. 


OFFICERS 


JEAN  RICROCH 
Treasurer 


LOUIS  ROUMAGNAC 
President 


FRANCIS  IMANDT 
Secretary 


HENRY  KALB 
Assistant  Treasurer 


JOSfi  RAMON  de  ICAZA 
General  Counsel  in  Mexico 


PETER  JAY  CLARK 
Assistant  Secretary 


HENRY  S.  RENAUD 
General  Counsel 


BENJAMIN  HURTADO  de  ELIS£E  ARIfi 

MENDOZA  ^       . , ^ 

special  secretary  to 
General  Superintendent  in  Mexico  the  President 


EXECUTIVE  OFFICES 

Singer  Building,  149  Broadway,  New  York  City 
Telephone:    Cortlandt  807 


TRANSFER  AGENT  AND  REGISTRAR 

United  States  Corporation  Company,  36  Nassau  Street,  New  York,  N.  Y. 


T  U  X  P  A  M      STAR 


Properties 

The  holdings  of  La  Estrella  de  Tuxpam  (Tuxpam  Star) 
originally  covered  an  area  of  1392  acres  situated  in  the  region 
of  Tuxpam,  which  in  the  opinion  of  the  eminent  geologist, 
Juan  D.  Villarelle,  is  the  richest  oil  zone  in  Mexico. 

The  President,  Louis  Roumagnac,  by  purchase  and  contracts 
has  acquired  a  large  additional  acreage  as  follows: — 52,870 
acres  situated  in 

Panuco,  Tampico 
Ozuluama,  Vera  Cruz 
Amatlan,  Vera  Cruz 
Tuxpam,  Vera  Cruz 
The  new  properties  are  therefore: 

20  acres  in  Tuxpam,  Vera  Cruz,  district  of  El  Ejido,  which 
is  in  the  vicinity  of  the  city  of  Tuxpam,  five  miles  from  the 
bar  of  Tuxpam,  where  are  the  deposits  of  the  Pearson  Oil 
interests. 

1250  acres  in  Ozuluama,  Vera  Cruz,  in  which  region  are  sit- 
uated the  holdings  of  the  Standard  Oil  Company,  Pearson 
Oil,  Huasteca  Petroleum,  etc.,  producing  from  ten  to  fifty 
thousand  barrels  per  day. 

5121/^  acres  in  Panuco,  which  is  one  of  the  best  producing 
regions,  having  the  Mexican  Petroleum  Company.  It  is  in 
this  region  that  the  Tuxpam  Star  has  its  operating  well,  with 
a  production  of  1500  barrels  per  day,  graduation  of  15  de- 
grees Baume. 

215  acres  in  Amatlan,  Vera  Cruz,  in  which  region  are  sit- 
uated the  largest  oil  wells  in  the  world,  such  as :  Cerro  Azul, 
producing  261,000  barrels,  and  Potrero  del  Llano,  with  a 
production  of  110,000  barrels,  Juan  Casiano,  producing 
75,000  barrels,  and  many  others  producing  from  20,000  to 
50,000  barrels,  all  per  day,  belonging  to  the  well-known 
companies,  Standard  Oil,  Mexican  Petroleum,  and  Pearson, 


OIL      CORPORATION 


Cowdray  interests,  all  of  which  corporations  are  showing 
large  earnings  from  operations. 

8321/2  acres  in  Macuspana,  Tabasco,  in  which  region  is  pro- 
duced the  purest  quality  of  oil.  It  is  here  that  many  cities 
have  been  built  for  the  accommodation  of  the  vast  army  of 
oil  workers.  The  oil  produced  from  this  region  is  found 
near  the  surface  and  is  used  for  lighting  and  gasoline. 
50,000  acres  in  Ebano,  Tamaulipas,  which  is  the  newest 
acquisition  of  the  Company. 

It  may  therefore  be  stated  that  the  Tuxpam  Star  Corporation 
has  valuable  oil  holdings  in  the  principal  producing  districts 
of  Mexico. 

All  information  relative  to  the  Panuco  properties  may  be 

found  in  the  report  of  Camalotes,  in  this  pamphlet,  and  the 

Tuxpam  properties  are  covered  in  the  report  on  Tuxpam. 

In  addition  to  the  above,  the  Tuxpam  Star  Oil  Corporation 

owns  two  complete  sets  of  machinery,  one  of  which  is  now 

being  used  to  produce  the  1500  barrels  of  the  aforementioned 

well,  and  the  other,  which  has  been  placed  on  the  lots  owned 

by  the   Company   in  the    district   of   Amatlan,   Vera    Cruz, 

where,   in   the   opinion   of  the   engineers,   the    Company   is 

assured  of  obtaining  a  daily  production  of  20,000  barrels. 

To  conclude,  the  Tuxpam  Star  Oil  Corporation  owns  and 

controls  54,262  acres  of  land;  two  complete  sets  of  machinery; 

a  well  producing  1500  barrels  per  day;  all  machinery  necessary 

for  the  sinking  of  a  second  well    (men  and  materials  on  the 

ground). 

The  following  reports  and  maps  are  given  to  enable  the  in- 
vestor to  locate  accurately  the  location  of  the  various  properties. 

Earnings 

A  recent  statement  issued  by  the  President  showed  earnings 
from  the  producing  well  of  about  $25,000  per  month,  or  6%  on 
the  entire  capitalization  of  the  Company.    The  officials  feel  that 


3096J>8^ 


50012; 


6  TUXPAMSTAR 

with  the  further  opening  up  of  the  properties  through  the  im- 
mediate sinking  of  additional  wells  on  the  best  proven  proper- 
ties of  the  Company  that  the  earnings  for  the  current  year  will 
compare  favorably  in  proportion  to  the  earnings  of  the  neigh- 
boring operators. 

District  of  Tampico 

The  Tampico  oil  fields  extend  for  a  distance  of  300  miles 
along  the  coast,  and  about  60  miles  inland  and  are  known  as 
the  world's  reservoir  of  oil.  One  prominent  American  geolo- 
gist, Prof.  I.  C.  White,  State  Geologist  of  West  Virginia,  recently 
stated  that  the  Tampico  fields  contained  a  supply  of  14  billion 
barrels  in  proved  areas. 

A  prominent  banker  who  was  interested  in  the  early  promo- 
tion of  the  Mexican  Petroleum  Company  has  stated  to  our  firm 
that  the  sinking  of  a  well  in  the  vicinity  of  Tuxpam  cannot  fail 
to  produce  oil. 

Conclusion 

We  have  made  a  comprehensive  study  of  the  properties  and 
prospects  of  the  Tuxpam,  Star  Oil  Corporation,  and  believe  that 
with  the  additional  finances  assured  to  the  Company  to  enable 
it  to  enter  upon  a  broad  campaign  of  development,  which  will 
doubtless  give  the  Company  many  producing  wells,  that  the 
stock  offers  an  attractive  opportunity  for  a  speculative  invest- 
ment at  its  present  quotation  in  New  York  and  Boston. 


OIL      CORPORATION 


MAP  OF   LANDS 

hitherto  owned  by  the  "Compania  de  Petroleo 
Camalotes,  S.  A.,"  acquired  and  to  be  explored 
by  the  Tuxpam  Star  Oil  Corporation  of  New 
York. 

This  map  is  a  local  plan  of  the  River  Panuco 
(Tampico),  where  are  located  8  lots  of  the 
Tuxpam  Star  Oil  Corporation.  All  the  black 
dots  indicate  wells  in  production. 


8 


T  V  X  P  A  M      STAR 


OIL      CORPORATION 


GEOLOGICAL  REPORT  ON  OIL  LANDS 

hitherto  owned  by  the  "Compania  de  Petroleo  'CAMALOTES' 

S.  A.,''  acquired  and  to  be  explored  by  the  "Tuxpam  Star  Oil 

Co.,"  of  New  York. 

Location 

The  lots  or  fractions  of  lots  to  be  explored  by  the  Tuxpam 
Star  Oil  Co.  are  the  following: 

Two  fractions  of  Lot  No.  12,  which  is  a  fraction  of  Tam- 
boyoche,  Topila,  belonging  to  the  Municipal  Jurisdiction  of 
Panuco,  Canton  of  Ozuluama,  State  of  Vera  Cruz.  One  of  these 
fractions,  measuring  five  hectares,  is  located  within  two  hundred 
meters  South  from  the  right  bank  of  the  Panuco  River  the 
other  fraction,  measuring  a  half  hectare,  is  on  the  Estuary  of 
TopiJa,  one  kilometer  distant  from  the  five  hectares  lot  men- 
tioned above. 

A  fraction  of  Lot  No.  17  of  the  extinguished  Estate  of  "Santa 
Ana,"  Municipahty  of  Panuco,  Canton  of  Ozuluama,  State  of 
Vera  Criiz.  This  lot  is  situated  on  the  Estuary  of  Vado,  which, 
farther  South,  joins  that  of  Topila. 

Three  fractions  of  land:  one  situated  on  the  land  known 
under  the  name  of  "Potrero  de  los  Papanes";  another  one  on 
the  cultivation  land  named  "La  Casa,"  and  the  third  one  on  the 
"Potrero  de  los  Higos."  All  of  these  lots  are  located  within 
the  Municipal  Jurisdiction  of  Panuco,  Canton  of  Ozuluama, 
State  of  Vera  Cruz.  They  are  distributed  on  the  banks  of  the 
Estuary  of  Tamajuil  or  of  Llave,  and  belong  to  the  extinguished 
property  of  Loma  Alta,  which  is  bound  on  the  North  by  the 
Granadilla,  and  to  the  West  by  the  Quiebracha  and  Cahuayotes 
properties. 

All  of  the  above  mentioned  lots  are  located  in  oil  regions, 
those  of  Tamboyoche  and  Santa  Ana  being  in  the  Panuco  oil 
region,  while  those  of  the  Loma  Alta  estate  are  in  the  North- 
eastern region  of  Tantoyuca  oil  zone. 


10  TUXPAMSTAR 

Surface 

The  surface  of  the  above  mentioned  oil  lands  aggregates 
to  103  hectares — 58  ares,  distributed  as  follows: 

One  fraction  of  Lot  No.  12  of  Tamboyoche 5  hctrs. 

One  fraction  of  Lot  No.  12  of  Tamboyoche 0     **      50  ars. 

One  fraction  of  Lot  No,  17  of  Santa  Ana 10     ** 

One  fraction  of  Potrero  de  lo6  Papanes  land 38     **        8   ** 

One  fraction  of  La  Casa  land 3     ** 

One  fraction  of  Potrero  de  los  Higos  land 47     " 

Total    103  hctrs.  58  ar». 

Means  of  Communication 

The  means  of  communication  in  the  lots  making  the  object 
of  this  report,  are  numerous  and  easy.  For  instance,  in  the 
fractions  of  the  Lot  of  Tamboyoche,  Topila,  fluvial  navigation 
is  afforded  by  both  the  Panuco  River  and  the  Topila  Estuary, 
which  are  navigable  all  year  through,  the  former  being  only 
200  meters  distant  from  the  fraction  of  five  hectares,  while  the 
latter  is  contiguous  to  the  fraction  of  one-half  hectare.  In  ad- 
dition to  these  facilities,  there  is  also  the  railroad  from  Tampico 
to  Panuco,  which  passes  within  a  few  meters  of  the  above  men- 
tioned fractions  of  lots.  Both  ways  of  communication  are  eco- 
nomical for  the  transportation  of  all  kinds  of  machinery:  on 
the  River  Panuco,  by  means  of  barges  towed  by  gasoline 
launches;  by  the  above  mentioned  railroad,  which  follows  the 
right  bank  of  the  Panuco  River,  crosses  the  Creek  of  Topila 
at  a  point  called  "La  Puerta."  Transportation  by  the  latter 
means  is  much  more  economical,  especially  when  one  considers 
that  the  unloading  of  the  machinery  may  be  made  directly  from 
the  steamer  in  Tampico  to  the  Barge,  and  from  the  latter  to 
the  railroad. 

Relative  to  the  Lot  of  Santa  Ana,  the  easiest  way  of  trans- 
porting the  machinery,  would  be  to  use  the  railroad  from  Tam- 
pico to  Panuco  up  the  latter  town,  whence  it  would  be  carried 


OIL      CORPORATION  11 

on  carts  to  the  above  Lot,  which  is  twelve  kilometers  distant 
from  the  Town  of  Panuco. 

As  for  the  lots  of  "Loma  Alta,"  the  railroad  from  Tampico  to 
Panuco  may  be  used  up  to  the  crossing  of  "La  Puerta,"  whence 
the  machinery  would  be  carried  on  carts  to  the  lots  in  question. 

Transportation  of  the  Oil  (Petroleum) 

Lots  of  Tamhoyoche  and  Topila 
An  economical  way  of  transportation  of  the  oil  is  afforded 
by  the  River  Panuco,  using  gasoline  launches,  towed  barges,  and 
also  by  the  railroad  from  Tampico  to  Panuco.  Moreover,  there 
will  soon  be  installed  a  Federal  and  public  oil  conduit  from 
Tampico  to  Panuco,  which  will  pass  very  near  the  above  lots. 

Santa  Ana  Lot 
From  the  Santa  Ana  Lot,  a  twelve  kilometers  oil  conduit 
would  have  to  be  constructed  up  to  Panuco,  where  it  would  be 
coimected  with  the   public  service  oil   conduit,  or  whence  it 
could  be  carried  on  barges  up  to  the  port  of  Tampico. 

Loma  Alta  Lots 

From  the  "Loma  Alta"  lots,  the  oil  would  have  to  be  trans- 
ported through  an  oil  conduit  to  be  constructed  and  connected 
with  that  of  the  Huasteca  Petroleum  Co.,  or  that  of  the  Mexi- 
can Petroleiun  Company  "El  Aguila"  S.  A.,  both  of  which  pass 
to  the  East  of  said  lots,  25  kilometers  distant.  That  conduit 
could  also  be  made  to  reach  the  Tamiahua  lagoon,  whence  in 
barges,  through  the  Chijoles  Canal  and  the  Panuco  River,  the 
oil  would  be  carried  to  Tampico. 

Local  Conditions 

Local  conditions,  as  regards  economical  conditions  for  the 

exploration  of  oil  lands,   are  sufficiently  favorable,  especially 

so  in  the  lots  of  Tamhoyoche  and  Santa  Ana.     In  fact,  the  oil 

industry  has  been  developing  on  a  large  scale,  for  a  long  time 


12  TUXPAMSTAR 

past,  in  the  oil  region  of  Panuco,  as  a  result  of  which  one  may 
count  there  on  all  necessities  of  life  and  industry;  repair  parts 
as  well  ae  everything  connected  with  the  exploration  of  oil  lands 
being  within  easy  reach.  The  port  of  Tampico  is  situated  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  lots  making  the  object  of  this  report,  and  there 
is  to  be  found  in  that  city  all  which  may  tend  to  make  the  ex- 
ploration of  oil  lands  economical. 

Water  and  Fuel 

The  water  needed  for  boring  purposes  is  abundant  in  all  of 
the  lots  covered  by  this  report.  So  the  fractions  of  the  Tam- 
boyoche  Lot  are  located,  one  in  the  Topila  Estuary  and  the 
other  quite  near  the  Panuco  River,  some  two  hundred  meters 
distant  from  the  latter;  the  fraction  of  the  Santa  Ana  Lot  is 
located  in  the  Vado  Estuary,  while  the  Loma  Alta  lands  are  on 
the  banks  of  the  La  Llave  Estuary  or  Tamajuil.  It  can  there- 
fore be  said  that  there  is  sufficient  water  to  make  the  perfora- 
tions, even  by  using  the  "Rotary"  system  of  machinery,  which 
may  be  applied  to  advantage  especially  in  the  fractions  of  Tam- 
boyoche  and  Topila,  while  the  "Standard  Cable"  system  will 
prove  better  for  the  Santa  Ana  and  the  Loma  Alta  lots,  where 
deeper  wells  have  to  be  bored  in  order  to  obtain  good  results. 

Fuel  is  cheap  in  all  of  the  localities  mentioned  above:  in 
those  of  Tamboyoche  and  Santa  Ana  there  are  various  neigh- 
bouring oil  wells  that  can  furnish  the  necessary  fuel  at  a  low 
price,  while  in  the  Loma  Alta  lands  lumber  is  very  abundant 
and  may  be  obtained  also  at  a  low  price. 

Topography 

From  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  there  extends  Eastward  a  large 
coastal  plain  cut  through  by  the  rivers  Panuco  and  Tamesi,  in- 
terrupted by  isolated  hills  which  rise  rapidly  from  said  plain, 
showing  on  various  points  depressions  which,  in  rainy  seasons, 
are  transformed  into  small  lagoons.     Towards  the  South,  the 


OIL      CORPORATION  13 

land  rises  in  ridges  extending  to  Ozuluama  and  Tantoyuca,  and 
the  coastal  plain  ends  West  at  the  Sierra  Madre  Oriental. 

The  River  Panuco  follows  from  West  to  East,  in  the  coastal 
plain,  a  sinuous  course,  and  on  the  right  bank  of  that  river,  on 
level  land,  are  located  the  lots  of  Tamboyoche  and  Topila;  far- 
ther South,  also  on  level  land,  is  the  Santa  Ana  Lot, 

The  Ozuluama  ridge  descends  to  the  North  of  the  Panuco 
River's  valley,  and  towards  the  East  to  the  Tamiahua  lagoon. 
In  that  direction,  at  the  foot  of  that  ridge,  and  in  alomst  level 
land,  are  to  be  found  most  of  the  Loma  Alta  lots,  especially 
those  of  the  right  bank  of  the  Llave  Estuary. 

Under  the  topographical  viewpoint,  all  of  the  lots  mentioned 
above  are  favorably  located,  and  the  configuration  of  the  land 
does  not  present  any  difl&culty  for  the  exploration  of  these  oil 
lands. 

Geological  Report 

The  surface  of  all  of  the  lots  covered  by  this  report  is  con- 
stituted by  clay,  sand,  and  lacustrian  and  pluvial  alluvia.  This 
deposit  of  detrital  rocks  covers  the  cretaceous-oceneous  forma- 
tion of  the  subsoil  which,  in  turn,  is  constituted  by  grey  or 
blueish  marls,  generally  plastic  and  sometimes  slaty  and  hard. 
Between  these  marls  there  are  in  some  instances  limestone 
strata,  generally  thin;  under  these  may  be  found  argilleous  clay 
and  limestone  of  the  "senonian,"  which  crop  out  at  the  sta- 
tions of  Mendez  and  Tamasopo  of  the  Railroad  from  San  Luis 
Potosi  to  Tampico,  and  lay  in  cavernous  limestone  that  contain 
the  oil  deposits. 

The  sedimentary  rocks  mentioned  above  are  cut  and  injected 
with  pleistoceneous  basalts  which  crop  out  in  some  of  the  hills 
of  the  locality,  as  a  result  of  which  hills  rose  to  interrupt  the 
monotony  of  that  plain,  among  which  may  be  cited  that  called 
La  Paz  en  el  Ebano. 

There  are  no  basaltic  manifestations  to  be  observed  either 
in  the  lands  covered  by  this  report,  nor  in  their  vicinity. 


14  TUXPAMSTAR 

Geological  Structure 

The  sedimentary  strata  mentioned  above  are  folded,  the 
foldings  being  more  open  in  the  Western  part  of  that  region, 
while  they  are  relatively  closer  towards  the  East.  To  the  West 
of  Tampico,  the  above  mentioned  strata  rise,  forming  a  big 
anticlinal  very  well  known  as  productive  in  oil,  called  Potrero 
del  Llano.  The  outcrop  (head),  that  is,  the  highest  and  most 
level  part  of  this  anticlinal  or  convex  fold,  is  sufl&ciently  wide. 
To  the  West  of  the  said  anticlinal,  the  strata  descend  through 
Palangana  to  Potrero  de  la  Isleta  and  Tampuche,  whence  it  rises 
again  in  the  vicinity  of  the  city  of  Panuco  to  form  another 
anticlinal  fold,  also  very  noted  as  oil  productive,  and  called 
Panuco-Tlacolula.  Between  these  two  anticlinals  there  is  the 
concave  sinclinal  of  Potrero  de  la  Isleta.  The  course  taken  by 
this  folding  is  that  of  25°  Northwest  with  general  inclination 
towards  Northwest,  that  is,  toward  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  Almost 
normally  in  this  folding,  the  sedimentary  strata  take  another 
course  87°  Northwest.  Between  the  two  anticlinal  folds  of  that 
system,  I  shall  indicate  the  one  that  has  for  axis  the  line  I  have 
called  Tanchicuin-Guasima,  which  passes  a  little  northward  of 
the  fractions  of  the  Tamboyoche  lot,  covered  by  this  report. 

The  fractions  of  Lot  No.  2  of  Tamboyoche,  are  located  at 
the  outcrop  (head)  of  the  anticlinal  called  Topila  Potrero  del 
Llano,  and  to  the  Southwest  of  the  crossing  of  this  sinclinal  with 
the  one  that  has  its  axis  formed  by  the  line  called  Tanchicuin- 
Guasima. 

The  fraction  of  Lot  No.  17  of  Santa  Ana  is  in  the  sinclinal 
of  Potrero  de  la  Isleta. 

The  fractions  of  land  of  the  Loma  Alta  property,  are  in  the 
Eastern  slope  of  the  anticlinal  of  Potrero  del  Llano-Topila,  near 
the  sinclinal  of  the  Tanchicuin  Estuary  and  of  Paso  de  Ladro- 
nes,  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Pueblo  Viejo  Lagoon. 

The  location  of  these  lots  of  land,  as  regards  their  geological 


OIL      CORPORATION  15 

structure,  is  a  very  important  matter,  for  it  serves  to  indicate 
the  relative  value  of  these  lands  under  the  viewpoint  of  the  oil 
industry,  for  reasons  which  I  shall  immediately  expose. 

Oil  Deposits 

The  "anticlinal"  theory  is  the  one  generally  accepted  and 
which  has  been  best  verified  in  the  oil  regions  of  the  world, 
including  those  of  Mexico,  for  explaining  the  accumulation  of 
petroleum  in  determined  places  of  the  subsoil.  According  to 
that  theory,  the  oil  and  gas  accumulate  preferably  in  the  high- 
est part  of  the  anticlinal  foldings  of  the  sedimentary  strata, 
while  the  salt  water  deposits  itseK  in  the  lower  part  of  the  sin- 
clinal  folds.  This  distribution  of  the  gas,  petrolevun  and  salt 
water  is  due  to  the  difference  in  density  of  these  elements;  in 
the  Northern  regions  of  the  State  of  Vera  Cruz,  this  distribution 
is  also  due  to  the  fact  there  are  there  numerous  cavities, 
cuts  and  fissures  of  limestone  in  which  these  elements  accumu- 
late, in  the  outcrops  of  the  anticlinals  of  the  above  mentioned 
strata  of  limestone,  which  represent  the  parts  that  were  sub- 
jected to  efforts  of  extension  during  the  folding  of  the  strata;  in 
the  sinclinals  the  proportions  of  these  strata  are  more  compact, 
as  a  result  of  which  it  is  found  that  in  the  concave  folds  or  sin- 
clinals, the  cavities  are  in  smaller  number,  making  it  thus  less 
likely  that  oil  deposits  of  any  industrial  value  may  be  found 
there. 

On  the  strength  of  the  above  mentioned  theory,  which,  I 
repeat,  is  the  best  verified  one,  the  commercial  value  of  the 
fractions  of  the  lot  of  land  covered  by  this  report,  goes  diminish- 
ing in  the  following  order: 

Fraction  of  half  hectare,  Tamboyoche;  fraction  of  fire  hec- 
tares in  Tamboyoche;  fraction  of  the  lot  of  Santa  Ana;  and 
lots  situated  in  Loma  Alta.  The  Santa  Ana  and  Loma  Alta  lots 
are  situated  on  sinclinals  of  the  sedimentary  rocks  (oil  produo- 


16  TUXPAMSTAR 

ing),  and  their  commercial  value  is  therefore  small,  considered 
under  the  viewpoint  of  the  oil  industry. 

Depth  of  the  Wells 

The  wells  to  be  bored  in  the  lots  of  Tamboyoche  may  attain 
from  900  to  1000  meters  of  depth,  while  those  of  Santa  Ana, 
and  especially  those  of  Loma  Alta,  may  attain  more  than  1000 
meters  depth,  on  account  of  their  being  located  in  sinclinal 
folds,  the  latter  being  on  the  fold  extending  towards  the  Gulf 
of  Mexico,  which  is  much  deeper  than  those  of  the  Eastern 
part  of  that  region. 

The  rocks  to  be  drilled  for  boring  these  wells,  are  those  men- 
tioned above,  that  is:  those  covering  the  sedimentary  ones,  fol- 
lowed by  the  marls,  with  intercalation  of  thin  limestone  strata; 
then  come  the  argilleous  slate  and  finally  the  limestone,  which 
contain  the  oil  deposits. 

Conclusions 

Summing  up  the  present  report,  and  taking  into  considera- 
tion the  foregoing  reasoning,  it  may  be  stated  that  there  are  un- 
m,istakahle  probabilities  that  large  oil  deposits  exist  in  the  sub' 
soil  of  the  lots  in  question,  particularly  so  in  those  of  Tambo' 
yoche  and  Topila,  in  view  of  their  being  in  the  neighborhood 
of  actually  producing  wells  of  fame,  such  as  those  of  the  "Mexi- 
can Oil  Company,""  the  "Compania  Explotadora  de  Petroleo 
Topila,"  the  "Compania  de  Petroleo  la  Argentina,"  etc,  etc. 


OIL      CORPORATION  17 


MAP  OF  LANDS 

covered  by  Lots  2,  3,  14,  21,  22  and  56  of  Cas- 
tillo de  Teayo,  and  Lot  No.  56  of  Ocotepec  in 
Tuxpam  Canton,  State  of  Vera  Cniz,  all  of 
which  is  to  be  explored  by  the  Tuxpam  Star 
Oil  Corporation. 


18 


T  U  X  P  A  M     STAR 


^   -ri'i'I^^viiVrV 


V 


-  \ 


OIL      CORPORATION  19 


GEOLOGICAL  REPORT  RELATIVE  TO  OIL  LANDS 
Covered  by  Lots  Nos.  2,  3,  14,  21,  22  and  56  of  CASTILLO  DE 
TEAYO,  and  Lot  No.  46  of  OCOTEPEC  in  Tuxpam  Canton, 
State  of  Vera  Cruz,  all  of  which  is  to  be  explored  by  the  Mex- 
ican Oil  Company  called  "LA  ESTRELLA  DE  TUXPAM.,"  S.  A. 

Location 

The  lots  covered  by  this  report  are  the  following:  First 
group,  lots  No.  2  and  No.  3  within  the  jurisdiction  of  Castillo 
de  Teayo's  Muncipality,  Canton  of  Tuxpam,  State  of  Veracruz; 
Second  group,  lots  Nos.  14,  21,  22  and  56  of  the  same  Munici- 
pality of  Castillo  de  Teayo,  and  lot  No.  46  of  Ocotepec  Munici- 
pality, which  is  contiguous  to  that  of  Castillo  and  belongs  to 
the  Canton  of  Tuxpam,  State  of  Veracruz. 

Lots  Nos.  2  and  3,  which  form  the  first  group,  are  located 
in  the  extreme  Northeast  of  the  Municipality  of  Castillo,  at  40° — 
49"  of  latitude  North  and  1° — 34"  longitude  East  of  Mexico  City. 

Most  of  the  lots  forming  the  second  group  are  located  in  the 
central  part  of  the  Municipality  of  Castillo,  20° — 43"  and  20° — 46" 
of  latitude  North,  and  between  1° — 30"  and  1° — 31"  of  longitude 
East  of  Mexico  City.  It  is  to  say  that  this  second  group  is  sit- 
uated to  the  Southeast  of  the  first  one,  from  which  it  is  separated 
by  distances  varying  from  eight  to  twelve  kilometers. 

Lot  No.  56  is  Southeast  of  lot  No.  14,  and  both  are  on  a 
line  of  inclination  running  toward  23  Northwest  (15  Northwest 
of  the  Azimuth),  line  which,  if  prolonged  to  the  Northeast, 
would  pass  by  the  wells  called  Alamo  de  Tuxpam,  No.  4  of  Po- 
trero  del  Llano,  the  two  wells  called  Alazan,  Tres  Hermanos 
and  Topila;  and  if  the  said  line  is  prolonged  toward  South  by 
Southeast,  it  would  reach  the  wells  called  Furbero,  located  in 
the  Canton  of  Papantla,  State  of  Veracruz. 


20  TUXPAMSTAR 

Lots  Nos.  2  and  3  are  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Canas  Brook, 
to  the  Northeast  of  that  place,  contiguous  to  Caiias.  Lots  Nos. 
14,  21  and  22  are  two  kilometers  North  of  the  village  of  Castillo, 
and  lot  No.  56  is  three  and  one-half  kilometers  South  by  South- 
east distant  from  said  village.  It  would  mean  that  the  lots  of 
the  first  group  are  in  the  vicinity  of  the  village  of  Castillo,  some 
to  the  North  and  some  to  the  South  of  that  place. 

Surface 

The  total  surface  of  the  lots,  which  form  the  object  of  the 
present  report,  is  five  hundred  thirty-three  hectares,  twenty-five 
"ares,"  and  eighty-six  "centiaree,"  divided  as  follows: 

Lot  No.    2     Castillo  de  Teayo    101  Hs.  84  As.  48  Cs. 

Lot  No.    3         "  "        118  50  60 

Lot  No.  14         "  "        72  14  00 

Lot  No.  21  -  "        31  24  20 

Lot  No.  22         «  "       58  23  72 

Lot  No.  46    Ocotepec    112  00  00 

Total    533  Hs.  25  As.  86  Cs. 

Means  of  Communication 

Concerning  the  lots  of  the  first  group,  namely  those  located 
in  the  vicinity  of  Las  Caiias,  fluvial  means  of  communication 
are  aflForded  by  the  fact  that  these  lots  are  on  the  right  bank 
of  the  Las  Caiias'  brook,  which  empties  into  that  of  Zapotal, 
which,  in  turn,  empties  into  the  Tuxpam  River,  to  the  South- 
west of  the  town  of  that  name. 

The  distance  separating  said  lots  of  Las  Caiias  from  the  town 
of  Tuxpam,  in  following  the  above  mentioned  course,  is  thirty- 
two  kilometers.  Drilling  or  boring  machinery  may  be  trans- 
ported with  facility  from  Tampico  to  Tuxpam  through  the  Na- 
tional Canal,  which  begins  on  the  Panuco  River  at  Chijil,  fol- 
lows the  lagoons  called  Tamiahua  and  Tampanachoco,  and 
empties    into  the  Tuxpam  River,  measuring  one  hundred  and 


OIL      CORPORATION  21 

seventy  kilometers.  In  using  the  above  course,  the  machinery 
may  be  carried  on  barges  conveyed  by  gasoline  motor  launches, 
follow  the  course  of  the  Zapotal  creek  and  even  that  of  Las 
Canas  brook,  at  high  tide,  up  to  that  last  place.  As  a  result  of 
the  above,  easy  means  of  communciation  are  afforded  in  the 
first  group  of  lots,  making  the  object  of  this  report. 

The  lots  of  the  second  group,  those  located  in  the  vicinity 
of  Castillo  de  Teayo,  have  the  advantage  of  the  fluvial  trans- 
portation mentioned  above,  up  to  Las  Carias,  whence,  in  order 
to  reach  Castillo  and  Rancho  Nuevo,  it  is  necessary  to  build  a 
cart  road  for  the  transportation  of  the  machinery  toward  that 
hilly  spot.  However,  this  would  not  prove  a  difficult  task,  for 
the  land  is  not  very  accidented,  while  the  distance  between  Las 
Canas  and  the  lots  of  Castillo  de  Teayo,  is  only  twelve  kilo- 
meters. 

Trzoisportation  of  the  Petroleum  (Oil) 

The  best  course  to  follow  for  transporting  the  oil  erupting 
from  the  wells  which  are  to  be  bored  in  the  lots  making  the 
object  of  this  report,  up  to  the  cisterns  whence  this  liquid  fuel 
will  be  exported,  is  the  following  one:  Construct  an  oil  conduit 
sixteen  kilometers  long,  from  Castillo  de  Teayo  to  Cabellal,  at 
which  place  it  should  be  connected  with  that  running  from  Ala- 
mo to  Tuxpam  bar  or  else,  construct  an  oil  conduit  forty-two 
kilometers  long  from  Castillo  de  Teayo  to  Cobos,  then  from 
the  right  bank  of  the  Tuxpam  River  up  to  the  Tuxpam  bar,  ex- 
tending it  under  the  water  up  to  the  anchoring-ground  of  the 
cisterns,  one  and  a  half  kilometers  from  the  bar  of  Tuxpam. 

At  the  beginning,  the  oil  could  be  transported  from  Las 
Canas  through  the  brook  of  that  name  and  through  that  of  Za- 
potal, up  to  the  River  Tuxpam,  carrying  it  on  barges  pulled  by 
gasoline  launches.  The  only  oil  conduit  which  would  have  to 
be  constructed  being  one  going  from  Castillo  de  Teayo  up  to 
the  pier  at  Las  Canas. 


22  TUXPAMSTAR 

Economical  Conditions  of  the  Locality 

Once  the  difficuhy  of  building  a  carriage  road  from  Las  Ca- 
nas  to  Castillo  de  Teayo,  for  the  transportation  of  the  oil  to 
the  lots  of  the  second  mentioned  group,  is  overcome,  one  finds 
prevailing  there  the  best  economical  conditions,  and  may  count 
on  all  necessities  of  life  and  labor  obtainable  at  low  cost,  as  well 
as  wood,  which  may  be  used,  in  the  beginning,  as  fuel  for  the 
first  drilling  works.  On  the  other  hand,  as  a  result  of  the  near- 
ness of  the  lots,  which  form  the  object  of  this  report,  to  the 
town  of  Tuxpam,  repair  parts  as  well  as  other  implements 
needed  for  the  exploration  of  these  oil  lands,  can  be  had  with 
f acihty.  The  water,  which  is  an  element  of  necessity  for  boring 
wells,  especially  when  the  "Rotary"  type  of  machinery  is  used, 
is  within  reach  in  the  brook  named  Las  Caiias  which  bounds 
lots  Nos.  2  and  3,  and  passes  near  the  other  lots  which  form 
the  object  of  this  report. 

Consequently,  one  may  count  in  this  region  on  all  necessi- 
ties required  for  an  easy  and  economical  exploration  of  oil  lands. 

Eruptive  Sources,  Called  "Chapopoteras,"  and 
Neighboring  Oil  Wells 

The  oil  region  of  Tuxpam  is  the  richest  one  in  eruptive  oil 
manifestations,  the  oil  being  accumulated  in  large  quantities 
in  the  subsoil  of  said  region.  The  most  important  "chapopo- 
teras"  (eruptive  sources)  of  this  zone  are  those  located  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  line  I  have  called  Topila-Potrero  del  Llano,  and 
above  all,  those  of  Cerro  Azul,  Juan  Felipe,  Alazan  and  Potrero 
del  Llano.  To  the  South  of  Panuco  River,  the  hue  of  "chapo- 
poteras"  continues  with  those  of  Palma,  Las  Canas  and  Caiiada 
Rica,  while  in  the  vicinity  of  Castillo  de  Teayo,  there  are  those 
of  Xucil,  Tumbadero  and  Rancho  Nuevo,  and  also,  in  that  neigh- 
borhood, that  of  Tihuatlan. 

Of  course,  the  "chapopoteras"  (eruptive  sources)  do  not  al- 
ways indicate  that  oil  deposits  are  to  be  found  at  the  foot  of  a 


OIL      CORPORATION  23 

vertical  line  passing  through  them:  they  indicate  at  least  that 
in  all  cases,  oil  deposits  are  to  be  found  in  the  subsoil  of  the 
region  in  which  they  are  located.  As  a  result,  these  "chapopo- 
teras"  in  the  vicinity  of  Castillo  de  Teayo,  indicate  that  there 
are  oil  deposits  in  that  locality,  as  well  as  in  the  Tuxpam  oil 
region  which  lies  to  the  South  of  the  Tuxpam  River. 

The  "chapopoteras"  (eruptive  sources)  nearest  to  lots  Nos. 
2  and  3,  Castillo  de  Teayo,  are  those  of  Nanchal,  near  Las  Canas, 
two  and  a  half  kilometers  West  of  said  lots;  those  nearest  to 
lots  Nos.  14,  21,  22  and  56,  are  those  of  the  Las  Canas  brook, 
six  and  a  half  kilometers  Southwest  of  Castillo,  as  also  those 
to  the  South  of  the  Ojotpec  hill,  five  kilometers  Southeast  of 
Castillo. 

The  oil  wells  located  nearest  to  the  lots  forming  the  object 
of  this  report,  are  those  of  Potrero  del  Llano,  Pearson,  and  Po- 
zosde  Furbero. 

Let  us  now  view  from  both  topographical  and  geological 
points  of  view,  the  location  of  these  lots,  object  of  this  report, 
in  the  oil  region  of  Tuxpam,  which,  for  various  reasons,  I  have 
considered  for  the  last  fourteen  years  as  the  best  oil  region  in 
Mexico. 

Topography 

The  land  is  little  accidented;  it  is  a  ridge  rising  gradually 
from  the  Northeast  toward  the  Southwest,  that  is,  from  Tux- 
pam toward  Castillo  de  Teayo  and  Tihuatlan;  this  ridge  sep- 
arates the  water  that  descends  toward  North  and  Northeast 
into  the  Tuxpam  River,  from  the  water  descending  Southeast- 
ward to  the  Cazones  River.  This  ridge  is  the  end  of  one  of  the 
spurs  separating  from  the  little  mountain  called  Matlatoyuca, 
which  is  surmounted  by  the  Mesa  de  Coroneles.  This  configura- 
tion of  the  land  is  entirely  due  to  erosion,  which  abounds  in 
the  round-shaped  places.  The  highlands  or  hills  nearest  to  the 
lots  of  Castillo  de  Teayo,  are  those  of  Tixtepec  to  the  West  and 
Ojoxtepec  to  the  East  of  Castillo. 


24  TUXPAMSTAR 

The  lots  of  land  forming  the  object  of  this  report  are  lo- 
cated on  the  slightly  undulated  and  gently  inclined  land  which 
descends  the  Rancho  Nuevo,  on  the  brow  of  Ojoxtepec  hill 
toward  Castillo  de  Teayo  and  Las  Canas. 

The  brook  which  passes  nearest  all  of  the  above  mentioned 
lots,  is  that  of  Las  Canas,  which  bounds  those  of  the  first  group,, 
passes  in  the  vicinity  of  Las  Canas,  and  those  of  the  second 
group,  which  are  located  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Castillo  de 
Teayo.  This  brook,  with  a  very  gentle  course,  descends  into 
that  of  Zapotal  to  enter  the  Tuxpam  River,  North  of  a  point 
called  Vuelta  Grande. 

Geology 

The  geology  and  geological  structure  of  Tuxpam  is  extremely 
interesting,  not  only  on  account  of  the  difficulties  which  its 
study  presents,  when  considering  that  this  land  is  so  little  acci- 
dented,  has  so  few  natural  cuts  and  is  covered  with  an  exuber- 
ant vegetation,  but  also  in  view  of  the  close  relation  existing 
between  the  subterranean  distribution  of  oil  deposits  and  the 
folding  of  the  sedimentary  strata  that  contain  said  deposits. 

From  the  coastal  plain  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  the  ground 
rises  from  the  city  of  Tuxpam  toward  the  West  of  Camotipan, 
and  to  the  Southwest  toward  Castillo  de  Teayo  and  Tihuatlan. 
All  along  this  ridge,  sedimentary  strata  of  the  Mioceno-Plioce- 
neous  crop  out,  and  in  various  places  they  are  fossiliferous  and 
constituted  principally  of  yellowish  calcareous  sands  and  white 
limestone.  Much  farther  to  the  West,  there  crop  out  Eoceneous 
marl  strata,  while  all  of  the  Terciary  leans  against  borders  of 
slate,  clayey  slate  and  Neocretaceous  limestone,  which  crop  out 
in  the  mountain  far  to  the  West,  and  lays  at  a  sufficient  depth 
in  the  ridge  and  in  the  coastal  plain  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  be- 
tween Tuxpam  and  Papantla. 

The  Terciary  is  covered  in  various  places  in  that  coast,  and 
quite  extensively,  with  detritical  rocks,  pleistoceneous,  yellow- 


OIL      CORPORATION  25 

ish  clay,  sand,  gravel,  river  alluvions  which  in  some  places  are 
quite  thick  and  of  extended  surface. 

The  sedimentary  rocks  mentioned  above,  the  cretaceous  as 
well  as  the  terciary,  are  cut  through  and  injected  by  pleitoce- 
neous  igneous  rocks  and  basalts  which  constitute  mountainous 
massiveness,  such  as  the  mountain  of  Oromtepec  or  of  Tantima; 
they  also  appear,  here  and  there,  on  the  surface  of  the  land 
under  the  shape  of  basaltic  necks  or  plugs,  such  as  the  little 
hills  owe  their  existence  to  old  conduits,  irregularly  tubular, 
through  which  rose  into  the  sedimentary  strata  the  basaltic 
lava,  which  in  cooling  and  becoming  solid,  obstructed  these 
conduits;  later  on,  when  the  eruptive  agents  disintegrated  and 
transported  the  sedimentary  rocks  which  surrounded  these 
basaltic  deposits,  they  uncovered  the  above  mentioned  basaltic 
plugs,  in  the  shape  of  isolated  necks.  Hills  similar  to  those  al- 
ready mentioned  follow  the  zone  in  the  direction  23°  North- 
west (15°  Northwest  of  azimuth),  which  reaches  Topila  in  the 
Panuco  River,  and  which  I  have  called  Topila  Potrero  del  Llano. 

The  folding  of  the  sedimentary  strata  is  difficult  to  study 
in  the  land  of  this  region,  in  view  of  the  fact  that  natural  cuts 
are  not  very  deep  and  the  surface  of  the  ground  is  not  very  hilly. 
However,  in  adding  the  information  I  have  made  on  these  lands 
on  various  occasions,  to  that  aflForded  by  the  many  perforations 
made  in  distinct  places  in  the  cantons  of  Ozuluama,  Tantoyuca, 
Tuxpam  and  Papantla,  State  of  Veracruz,  we  may  consistently 
reach  the  following  conclusions,  relative  to  the  geological  struc- 
ture of  these  regions: 

The  folding  of  the  sedimentary  strata  in  the  oil  region  of 
Tuxpam  is  very  gentle  and  takes  the  course  23  Northwest  (15 
Northwest  of  azimuth).  The  principal  anticlineal,  the  most  im- 
portant convex  fold,  is  the  one  the  axis  of  which  is  the  line  I 
have  called  Topila-Potrero  del  Llano.  The  outcrop  (head)  of 
of  this  anticlinal  is  sufficiently  wide,  and  it  joins,  with  light 
secondary  undulations,  the  outcrops  (heads)  of  two  parallel  and 


26  TUXPAMSTAR 

neighbouring  anticlinals,  the  axes  of  which  are  formed  by  the 
lines  I  have  called  Topila-Camalote,  to  the  West  of  the  first 
mentioned  name,  and  Naranjo-Tierra  Amarilla,  to  the  East  of 
the  same  line  Topila-Potrero  del  Llano.  These  undulations,  the 
course  of  which  is  23  Northwest,  form  a  zone  sufficiently  wide, 
which  constitutes  the  principal  convex  part  as  well  as  the  prin- 
cipal anticlinal  of  the  folding  of  the  sedimentary  strata  of  that 
region,  said  principal  anticlinal  having  for  axis,  as  I  have  said 
before,  the  line  called  Topila-Potrero  del  Llano.  Parallel  to 
this  principal  anticlinal,  there  are  other  secondary  ones,  formed 
on  the  slopes  of  the  first.  These  secondary  anticlinal  folds 
have  their  axes  formed  by  the  following  lines,  which  I  have 
called:  Panuco-La  Aguada-La  Soldead,  and  Panuco-Tlacotula, 
both  of  which  are  West  of  the  axis  called  Topila-Potrero  del 
Llano;  to  the  East  of  this  axis,  there  are  the  anticlinal  folds 
the  axes  of  which  are  formed  by  the  lines  I  have  called:  Na- 
ranjos-Tierras  Amarilla-Dos  Bocas-Juan  Casino,  and  San  Sebas- 
tian-Tanguijo.  Farther  to  the  East,  the  strata  descend  in  short 
slopes  to  the  Northeast,  namely  toward  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

Almost  perpendicularly  to  the  above  mentioned  folding  the 
course  of  which  is  23  Northwest  (15  Northwest  of  azimuth),  the 
sedimentary  strata  are  slightly  undulated,  forming  very  gentle 
folds  taking  the  course  87  Northeast  (85  Northwest  of  azimuth). 
These  secondary  folds  have  the  axes  of  the  anticlinals  formed, 
among  others,  by  the  lines  I  have  called:  La  Aguada,  Dos  Bo- 
cas,  Tres  Hermanos,  Juan  Casino,  Naransos,  San  Sebastian,  Ti- 
erra  Amarilla,  Tanguijo  and  Tlacotula,  Potrero  del  Llano,  Ala- 
mo, Palma,  Las  Canas,  Canada,  Rica  and  Metlatoyuca,  Tiahu- 
atlan. 

As  a  result  of  the  crossing  of  these  gentle  and  almost  perpen- 
dicular folds  of  the  sedimentary  strata,  there  were  formed: 
anticlinal  and  extensive  cupolas,  where  the  outcrops  of  anti- 
clinals crossed  each  other  and  synclinal  casks,  where  the  syn- 
clinal troughs  effected  the  crossing.     It  is  to  say,  that  the  anti- 


OIL      CORPORATION  27 

clinal  cupolas  and  the  synclinal  troughs  of  the  folding  of  the 
sedimentary  strata  alternate,  either  from  North  to  South,  or 
from  East  to  West.  The  principal  anticlineal  cupolas  are  those 
lined  up  in  the  zone  I  have  called  Topila-Potrero  del  Llano, 
while  the  synclinal  casks  are  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Gulf 
of  Mexico. 

In  the  zone  of  land  in  which  are  lined  up  the  principal 
anticlinal  cupolas,  that  is,  in  the  extensive  outcrop  (head)  of 
the  principal  anticlineal  called  Topila-Potrero  del  Llano,  there 
appear  the  igneous  rocks,  the  pleistoceneous  basalts  which  cut 
the  sedimentary  strata  and  now  crop  out  in  the  ground  like  big 
basaltic  edifices,  or  like  basaltic  plugs  of  the  irregular  tubular 
conduits  through  which  ascended  the  lava,  and  which  have 
been  left  uncovered  by  the  eruptive  agents. 

In  addition  to  these  basaltic  injections,  there  are,  in  this 
zone,  the  axis  of  which  is  formed  by  the  Topila-Potrero  del 
Llano  line,  the  principal  eruptive  petroleum  sources  of  the  sub- 
soil, as  also  the  oil  wells  which,  on  account  of  their  permanent 
and  very  high  production,  have  won  a  world  fame.  This  re- 
markable anticlinal  zone  extends  to  the  South  by  Southeast 
toward  Furbero,  passing  through  Castillo  de  Teayo  and  Ranco 
Nuevo.  It  is  to  say,  that  all  of  the  lots  which  are  the  object  of 
this  report,  are  located  within  the  above  mentioned  zone,  and 
particularly  so  for  lots  Nos.  14  and  56,  near  Castillo  de  Teayo, 
which  are  exactly  on  the  axis  of  this  principal  anticlinal,  name- 
ly, on  the  line  TopilorPotrero  del  Llano-Furbero. 

In  the  convex  part  of  the  gentle  folding  taking  the  course 
of  87  Northeast,  the  surface  of  the  ground  is  marked  mainly 
by  "chapopoteras,"  eruptive  sources  of  petroleum  of  the  sub- 
soil. Almost  in  the  axis  of  one  of  these  perpendicular  anti- 
clineals,  which  I  have  called  Palma,  Las  Canas  Rica,  are  located 
lots  Nos.  2  and  3  of  Castillo  de  Teayo;  and  quite  near  the  axis 
Metlatoyuca-Tihuatlan,  are  lots  Nos.  14,  21  and  22,  while  to  the 
North  of  that  axis  and  to  the  South  of  same,  is  lot  No.  56  of 
Castillo  de  Teayo. 


28  TUXPAMSTAR 


From  what  precedes,  it  may  be  deducted: 

That  lots  Nos.  2  and  3  of  Castillo  de  Teayo  are  almost  situ- 
ated at  the  intersection  of  the  axes  of  two  secondary  anticlineals, 
almost  perpendicular  one  to  the  other,  called:  Naranjos,  Ti- 
erras  Amarillas,  with  course  23  Northwest  (and  that  of  Palma, 
Las  Caiias,  Canada,  Rica,  with  course  87  Northeast;  these  axes 
effect  the  crossing  in  Las  Canas,  as  a  result  of  which  lots  Nos. 
2  and  3  of  Castillo  de  Teayo  are  located  in  this  anticlineal 
cupola. 

Lots  Nos.  14,  21,  22  and  56  of  Castillo  de  Teayo  are  almost 
on  the  intersection  of  the  principal  anticlinal  axis  of  the  region, 
namely  that  of  Topila-Potrero  del  Llano-Furbero  with  course 
toward  23  Northwest,  with  the  axis  of  the  vertical  anticlineal 
of  Matlatoyuca-Tihuatlan. 

It  is  to  say  that  the  first  as  well  as  the  second  group  of  lots 
tvhi4;h  form  the  object  of  this  report  are  situated  in  anticlinal 
cupolas^  of  which  the  most  important  is  the  one  located  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  the  city  of  Castillo  de  Teayo,  in  view  of  the 
fact  that  the  axis  of  the  principal  anticlinal  of  the  region  of 
Tuxpam,  passes  near  that  vicinity. 

Oil  Deposits 

After  having  exposed,  although  sTimmarily,  the  facts  relative 
to  the  folding  of  the  sedimentary  strata  that  contain  the  petro- 
leum in  the  region  of  Tuxpam,  it  will  be  an  easy  task  to  deter- 
mine the  commercial  value  of  the  lots,  considered  as  oil  lands, 
which  form  the  object  of  this  report. 

The  various  theories  relative  to  the  distribution  of  oil  de- 
posits in  the  subsoil  are  of  recent  date;  however,  the  theory 
called  ''anticlinal,"  for  the  explanation  of  oil  accumulations, 
has  asserted  itself  the  world  over,  after  having  been  proven  in 
all  oil  regions  of  the  world,  including  those  of  Mexico. 

According  to  the  above  mentioned  theory  of  the  anticlinal, 
the  gases  and  petroleum  accumulate  in  the  subsoil,  preferably 


OIL      CORPORATION  29 

in  the  outcrops  (heads)  of  the  anticlinal  folds  of  the  sedimen- 
tary strata,  and  especially  in  the  anticlinal  cupolas  formed  by 
the  crossing  of  the  anticlinal  folds,  almost  perpendicular  one 
to  the  other  and  in  the  salt  water  which  accompanies  the  petro- 
leum in  the  petroleum  deposits,  accumulates  preferably  in  the 
lowest  part  of  the  synclinal  folds  formed  by  the  crossing  of  syn- 
clinals folds,  almost  perpendicularly  one  to  the  other. 

This  theory  has  been  fully  verified  in  Mexico,  as  is  shown  by 
the  presence  in  this  anticlinal  zone,  which  has  its  axis  formed 
by  the  line  Topila-Potrero  del  Llano-Furbero,  of  oil  wells  which, 
by  the  permanence  and  extensiveness  of  their  production,  have 
won  a  world  fame.  Effectively,  there  are  to  be  found  in  the 
vicinity  of  that  axis,  the  wells  called:  Topila,  Palacho,  Tres 
Hermanos,  Tamalia,  Carro  Azul,  Alzan,  Potrero  de  Llano, 
Alamo  de  Tuxpam  and  Furbero,  in  the  canton  of  Papantla. 
Amongst  the  above  cited  wells,  the  best  of  them  are  those  lo- 
cated in  the  vicinity  of  the  anticlinal  axes  of  the  perpendicular 
folding,  directed  toward  87  Northeast. 

In  the  oil  region  of  Tuxpam,  the  same  as  in  the  other  oil 
regions  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  the  anticlinal  cupolas  which  are 
oil  productive,  according  to  the  above  theory,  and  the  synclinal 
troughs  which  generally  contain  only  water,  according  to  the 
same  theory,  alternate  either  from  North  to  South,  or  from  East 
to  West;  they  thus  form  a  sort  of  chessboard,  in  which  the  white 
spots  would  indicate  good  oil  lands,  while  the  black  spots  would 
represent  the  adjacent  lands  of  the  subsoil  in  which  has  princi- 
pally accumulated  salt  water,  which  accompanies  the  petroleum 
in  the  subterranean  cavities.  These  white  and  black  spots,  rep- 
resenting anticlinal  cupolas  and  synclinal  troughs,  respectively, 
are  each  one  of  them  sufficiently  extensive  in  the  oil  region  of 
Tuxpam, 

On  the  basis  of  the  theory  and  technical  reasoning  already 
exposed,  which  have  been  fully  verified  in  Mexico,  and  in  tak- 
ing into  account  the  fact  that  the  principal  anticlinal  of  the  oil 


30  TUXPAMSTAR 


regions  of  Mexico  is  the  one  that  has  its  axis  formed  by  the  line 
I  have  called  Topila-Potrero  del  Llano-Furbero,  the  following 
conclusions  may  be  drawn: 

Lots  Nos.  14,  21  and  56  of  Castillo  de  Teayo  are  perfectly 
well  located:  in  the  subsoil  of  said  lots,  there  are  oil  deposits 
of  commercial  value,  for  they  are  situated  on  the  axis  or  in  tlie 
vicinity  of  the  axis  of  the  principal  petroleum  anticlincd  of 
Mexico,  in  the  interior  of  an  anticlinal  cupola  located  in  that 
axis. 

Lots  Nos.  2  and  3  of  Castillo  de  Teayo  are  also  well  located, 
and  in  the  subsoil  of  these  lots  there  will  be  found  good  oil  de- 
posits, for  they  are  situated  on  the  crossing  of  two  secondary 
anticlinal  axes,  almost  perpendicular  one  to  the  other,  one 
of  which  has  its  axis  formed  by  the  line  I  have  called  "Naran- 
jostierra  Amarilla." 

It  is,  therefore,  to  be  said,  that:  all  of  the  lots  of  land  cov- 
ered by  this  report  are  good,  considered  as  oil  productive,  but 
those  numbered  14,  21,  22  and  56,  which  are  located  farther  into 
the  center  of  the  best  oil  anticlinal  of  Mexico,  said  anticlinal 
being  that  which  has  produced  the  greatest  quantity  of  crude 
oil,  the  latter  cropping  out  like  an  explosive  from  the  best  oil 
wells  of  Mexico.  These  wells,  of  world  fame,  are  located  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  axis  of  this  principal  anticlinal,  the  axis  of  which 
is  formed  by  the  line  ^^Topila-Potrero  Del  Llano-Furbero." 

Depth  of  the  Wells 

The  average  depth  to  he  attained  in  the  wells  which  will  be 
bored  in  the  vicinity  of  Castillo  de  Teayo,  is  from  six  hundred 
and  fifty  to  seven  hundred  meters,  at  which  depth  the  oil  de- 
posits may  be  reached,  after  the  slaty  marl,  the  clayey  slate,  the 
limestone,  and  the  intercalated  calcareous  sands,  all  of  which 
constitutes  the  terciary  of  this  locality,  have  been  drilled. 


C  SOUTHER'',  3E  j'C'.i^  .  53ARy  FACILiTV 


A     000  070  194    6 
OIL      CORPORATION  31 

Conclusions 

As  a  resume  of  all  that  has  been  exposed  and  on  the  basis  of 
the  technical  reasoning  indicated,  it  is  to  be  concluded  what 
follows : 

The  exploration  of  the  oil  lots  numbered  2,  3,  14,  21,  22,  and 
56  of  Castillo  de  Teayo,  will  prove  to  be  a  complete  commercial 
success,  the  same  as  have  been  successful  the  reliable  companies 
that  explored  the  lands  located  in  the  principal  outcrop  (head) 
of  the  big  anticlineal  called  Topila-Potrero  Del  Llano-FurberOy 
and  when  considered  under  the  point  of  view  of  oil  producing, 
it  is  one  of  the  greatest  commercial  value  on  the  Veracruzan 
coast  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

One  is  therefore  justified  in  stating  that  the  oil  company 
called  "La  Estrella  de  Tuxpam,"  S.  A.,  will  find  oil  deposits  of 
actual  commercial  value,  in  boring  wells  in  the  lots  of  land  cov- 
ered by  this  report. 

Dated  at  Mexico  City,  January  8,  1916. 

(Signed)     JUAN  VILLARELLO, 

GeologiBt. 


